Nasr Family Fund to grant $76,500

Posted on May 24, 2013

The Community Foundation’s Nasr Family Fund, created by Dr. Bassam H. Nasr, has donated $76,500 to St. Clair County Community College’s “All Aboard: Campaign for Talent, Technology and Tomorrow.” The donation to the SC4 Foundation will provide 51% of the funding for a $150,000 project to expand the Port Huron college’s museum, which will be renamed the Nasr Natural Science Museum.

“SC4 is grateful to Dr. Nasr for his support of a project that will expose generations of students of all ages to science,” Pollock said. “Careers in science are among the fastest growing and highest paying in Michigan and across the nation. The Nasr Natural Science Museum is one of numerous ways SC4 is responding to the shortage of trained professionals in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.”

Over the years, Nasr and his wife, Marcelle, have made various anonymous donations to causes in the community. In making what he said is his first publicly announced contribution, Nasr hopes the focus is not on him but instead on encouraging others to give.

“I want to set the example for people who might not know what they can do to support the community,” he said.

With Nasr’s donation, work will be completed this summer to refurbish an area on the first floor in the Clara E. Mackenzie Building to allow for more effective display of exhibits and display of additional pieces of the science collection now in storage. It will include a platform for large piece display, track lighting for visual impact, new display cases, signage, and tables and chairs for group study.

Dr. Nasr has served on the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees since 2009, the same year he chaired the Community Foundation’s strategic planning group. As part of that process, he helped to develop its priority areas. These include a focus on “People” and “Place” to support a healthy and vibrant regional economy. Among the areas supporting this focus are education and arts and culture.

When Nasr attended the SC4 Foundation’s Red Carpet Affair in 2011 and saw the unveiling of the “All Aboard: Campaign for Talent, Technology and Tomorrow,” the concept of developing talent and technology resonated with him as a way to connect education, economy, people and place to make the area prosper. The science museum specifically attracted his attention as a place where students can become interested in science and pursuing education.

“This invests in young people to make good things happen,” Nasr said. “With good talent and technology, people will make this area their home. That includes seniors looking for a place to retire and young people looking for jobs.”